Speaker in Yucaipa runs therapy ranch that pairs abused horses with abused children

YUCAIPA - As a child, Kim Meeder was left an orphan, the innocent victim of her parents' murder/suicide.

From those difficult beginnings, the now grown Meeder and her husband Troy are now the owners of a ranch in central Oregon with a mission to "rescue the equine, mentor the child, offer hope for the family and empower the ministry."

The Christian Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch trains horses that have been rescued from abusive circumstances and then, in turn, those horses help hurting and abused children.

The ranch began in 1993 when the Meeders purchased nine acres of abandoned cinder mine property in Bend, Ore. Hooper shared stories that she had been told on the ranch of the property's sometimes miraculous survival. The cinder laden ground was spread with moldy hay and manure to neutralize the long-term effects of the mine.

Old trees were planted on the property that were barely alive and eventually, the Meeders rescued their first two animals.

One horse had been beaten so badly that a vet was called in to repair its face. The other horse had been starved, according to the ranch's website.

"They pair broken children with broken horses," Hooper said.

"It started as a rescue facility for horses and turned into a ministry that's been very successful in helping families and kids," Troy Meeder said.

As a day ranch, the Oregon facility does not accommodate overnight stays. However, according to Meeder, the only requirement for attendance is that the child wants to be there.

"Parents sometimes walk down the driveway and say, `Hey, here's my kid, fix them,"' Meeder said. "We know we can't help the child through if they don't want to help themselves."

None of the counselors at the Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch are state certified social workers or guidance counselors.

"Actually 95 percent are those kids who used to be in the system themselves," Meeder said of the ranch counselors. "There is no special training, but they have the roadmap to say, I've been there and have experienced going through that."

Each summer, the ranch holds about 1,700 to 2,000 one-on-one sessions. Each is 90 minutes long and begins with the child doing basic ranch chores.

"Kids these days don't even know how to pick up a manure fork," Meeder said. "It helps their self-esteem to be able to point at that fence or that barn and say, `I did that."'

That 30 minutes of work is followed by an hour with a horse. The child can groom the animal, ride the animal or just sit and talk.

And although the Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch is a decidedly Christian organization, their counseling agenda does not involve conversations about God.

"Our job is just to love them where they are at," Meeder said. "If the child does not ask about God, we don't talk about God."

Speaking of his wife's journey to hope through her time with horses and their Christian faith, Troy Meeder said that Kim was, "rescued by the Creator who worked through the horse."

The couple hopes to bring that message to the almost 200 people who will gather at the Yucaipa Christian Church Saturday for a special 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. fundraiser event.

The Meeders agreed to speak at the church, which is a fundraiser for Redlands YouthHope, a charity that aims to reach the area's homeless and runaway teens.

The Bend ranch began in humble circumstances, but now mentors between 5,000 and 6,000 visitors per year using more than 26 rehabilitated horses. The program has also spread internationally, spawning about 190 ranch ministries across the world.

The Saturday event is being organized by Yucaipa First Baptist Church's head of women's ministries, Jackie Hooper, along with many volunteers from the Yucaipa Christian Church.

"I hope that this will challenge people to look around and see where they can individually offer hope to those in need," Hooper said of the event.

Labeled, "Choose Hope," the fundraiser event came about after Hooper heard Kim Meeder speak at a friend's church in Northern California. Since that time Hooper has made it her mission to contact the ranch and have the Meeders speak in Yucaipa.

"You walk on that ranch and you feel like it is a place of miracles," Hooper said of her visit to the Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch. "It is peaceful, it is uplifting and serene, yet even within the serenity there is a feeling of joy."

For a $15 entrance fee, those attending will be treated to a continental breakfast and music from Brian Wurzell of Cornerstone Church in Chandler, Ariz. The church's various ministries will then be highlighted before a silent auction. Then Kim Meeder will speak prior to a barbecue lunch, also provided with the $15 entrance fee. The afternoon will be broken up into men's and women's groups as Troy speaks to the men and Kim speaks again to the women.

"I want to encourage the men to be men," Troy said. "I want them to step up and be the leaders and the patriarchs of their families."

The afternoon will then end with the results of the silent auction.

Those interested in purchasing tickets can call First Baptist Church Yucaipa 909-790-1971, Yucaipa Christian Church 909-797-1108 or by stopping by Uptown Pets at 35039 Yucaipa Boulevard.

"Our purpose is to return our children and families to a faith-based time when we worked hard, a time where there weren't all these iPods and video games, when it was all about just being together as a family," Meeder said.